1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server reservation method for making a reservation for the use of functions of a processing server that performs predetermined processing, by accessing the processing server via a network, a reservation control apparatus that controls reservations for the use of the processing server and a program storage medium that stores a program to be executed by the reservation control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a computer network system, an individual generally opens a homepage to provide created content over the Internet.
When a user personally opens a homepage, the user acquires a homepage creation program with a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”), creates a homepage hyper-linked with a plurality of content based on the homepage creation program and stores the homepage in a server of an Internet service provider (hereinafter referred to as “ISP”)
Then, the ISP provides the homepage to a client who has accessed it over the Internet from the server and when an anchor on the homepage is clicked, then the ISP provides linked content.
In recent years, contents to be supplied to clients over the Internet include many motion pictures and sounds in addition to still pictures. To provide content such as motion pictures, motion picture files and audio files created by the user are uploaded beforehand in a predetermined storage area in a streaming server of the ISP. Then, upon receiving a client's request, the streaming server of the ISP distributes corresponding files to the client by streaming over the Internet.
Furthermore, the technique of distributing content such as motion pictures to clients over the Internet includes a technique called “live distribution”, in addition to “on-demand distribution” whereby a motion picture file is uploaded in a streaming server beforehand and distributed in response to a request from a client as described above. In the live distribution, motion picture data created by a content creator, for example, using a digital camera, is encoded in real time and is sent to the streaming server over the Internet, etc. Then, the streaming server reproduces the motion picture data supplied in real time from the content creator while recording it in a dedicated storage area, and can thereby supply the motion picture data in real time to the requesting client.
When the above-described live distribution is performed, the content creator needs to send motion picture data to the streaming server in real time, and it is necessary to secure a communication path to transmit motion picture data between the streaming server and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) of the content creator while live distribution is performed. This limits the number of content that can be distributed by live distribution using the streaming server during the same period, and in a rush time zone, there is a problem that the content creator who has been preparing for live distribution in the time zone may not perform live distribution in that time zone.
In order to prevent such a problem and insure efficient use of the streaming server to perform live distribution, it is possible to use the streaming server based on a reservation system. However, adopting such a reservation system may present the following problem. That is, when a reservation system is adopted, illegal users may make fictitious reservations (making a reservation but not fulfilling it) in many time zones, which prevents other users from making reservations. Such fictitious reservations by illegal users can put in danger the continuation of the reservation system.
Such a problem can occur not only in the reservation system of the streaming server for carrying out a live distribution but also in the case where a user PC uses the functions of a processing server that carries out predetermined processing other than live distributions, via a network such as the Internet and adopts a reservation system taking into account the processing capacity of the processing server and securing of the communication path between them, etc.